


Reset

by luucarii



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Angst without a happy ending, Break Up, F/M, Grief/Mourning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-15
Updated: 2018-01-28
Packaged: 2019-03-05 01:29:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13377240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luucarii/pseuds/luucarii
Summary: 'Breaking my girlfriend's heart and not even having the guts to say goodbye to my little sister, I really am a lost cause.'





	1. 'The Weight'

**Author's Note:**

> to get me back into the beautiful hell that is gladion/moon i decided i'd rewrite a fic i wrote back in June of last year and add an epilogue to it all.
> 
> prep yourselves, this is a one-way angst train.

She wasn’t home yet, though he knew she’d end up walking through sooner or later. His hands shook as he messily folded each piece of her clothes that he yanked out of the closet. He threw them into bags and zipped them up, piling them near the door to their shared apartment. It was small, cozy enough to fit the both of them. Up on the walls were frames of frozen pictures from the adventures they went on — a good majority of them memories from their brief vacation in Kalos a few months before.

 

Gladion couldn’t help but chuckle, albeit half-heartedly. He reached over to the framed picture on the wall beside the door and sighed. Moon was dressed in a long black overcoat with a blue beret — one she absolutely adored — eyes closed as she kissed him under Kalos’ Prism Tower. It was meant to be a normal picture before Moon ended up grabbing his cheeks the minute the flash for the picture went off. She was spontaneous and random but by Arceus did he love her.

 

The picture found its way off the wall and into his arms. He hated admitting to himself that Kalos would probably be the last time he’d ever travel with Moon — hell today would probably be the last time he would see her forever.

 

Damn them.

 

_Breaking my girlfriend’s heart and not even having the guts to say goodbye to my little sister. I really am a lost cause._

 

“…eah, I figured I’d make him some dinner tonight. My mom sent me this recipe and I’ve been dying to try it.”

 

Gladion stiffened. His heart stopped in his chest. That was definitely her, chatting up the neighbors while she walked up the stairs of the building. He heard rustling plastic bags, and the giggle he associated with her saying goodbye to whomever she was talking to. He heard her fumble with the keys and open the door. Gladion inhaled slowly and exhaled once he heard the groceries hit the floor.

 

“Gladion? What’s going on?” Her voice was hushed, and Gladion couldn’t find the stomach to turn back and meet her eyes. He kept his eyes on the picture frame. Frozen memories, permanent smiles.

 

“Kalos was fun, right?” He asked, more so as a means of easing himself into the conversation instead of ripping off the bandage right away.

 

“Y-yeah. It was a lot of fun.” She reached to grab his shoulder but held herself back as she watched him tighten his grip on the picture frame.

 

“I wish we could have more memories like that, Moon.”

 

“You’re scaring me, Gladion. Why are you talking like this? What happened?” Moon made her way to the couch he sat at, and leaned down, trying to find his eyes.

 

_Rip it now._

 

“We’re done.” It scared him that he could say it without his voice cracking. Moon made a sound Gladion could faintly distinguish as a whimper and a gasp. She nearly fell backwards, stumbling to move away from him. The guilt gnawed at his stomach and he reached for her hand to which she pulled away, teary eyed.

 

“What happened? Did I do something? Did I say something? Where the hell is this coming from?”

 

“Moon. I’m just… done.”

 

Her hair fell in her eyes and she scoffed. Her cheeks reddened and her tiny hands clenched into fists.

 

“You know better than I do that I’m just not cut out for being with someone for so long.” He found the strength to stand and buried his hands in his pockets. Her blue eyes were centered on the floor, refusing to look up.

 

“There’s just some people who are meant to be alone. I’d rather not have you sit here when my heart’s not in it. You deserve better than that.”

 

“You have some nerve…” She muttered and he bit back the apology he was so desperate to scream out.

 

“…to sit here, and lie right to my face.” Moon met his eyes and her gaze made him flinch. She stepped forward, hands reaching to his cheeks in an attempt to make him look her in the eye. Her touch made him stiffen. He wanted to cry. He wanted to break down and apologize and feel her arms around him. 

 

“Every night, when you’d wake up with nightmares of what happened back then with Lillie and your mother, I would always tell you that I’d never leave you. That you’d never be alone again. That I’d be by your side no matter what. And now, all of a sudden you want to be alone? I don’t buy it. You want space, I’ll give you space. But I’m not going to listen to you lie in an attempt to get rid of me.”

 

Gladion’s heart thumped in his chest and he made a silent prayer to Arceus in his head.

 

“Say whatever you want to say if it’ll help you sleep at night. I’m done. At first, maybe I felt something. Maybe it was your smile, or how… excited you get over every little thing, or how warm you feel next to me whenever we cuddled or—“ He cut himself off and swallowed the cry he had in his throat. “You were just leverage against my therapist and Lillie. I didn’t want them on my ass for every little thing, you were just the perfect cover up story.”

 

She didn’t hesitate. Throat dry, body seemingly shut down, she murmured, “alright then.” 

 

Moon leaned upward, wordlessly pressing her lips to his cheek. Her eyes hardened, the once sparkly blue darkening to a shallow navy. She turned away and grabbed the first few bags that were piled up by the door. She disappeared into the hallway. The sound of her footsteps defending down the stairs grew fainter until they faded and left Gladion alone in the apartment in silence.

 

He fell back against the couch and ran fingers through his hair. He shut his eyes and pinched himself. It was some screwed up nightmare. There’s no way he could naturally say everything he did. He stifled a cry. A part of him wanted to scream, to sob and beg her to come back but another burned with anger, hatred. 

 

His phone buzzed in his pocket and he didn’t doubt who was calling.

 

“I’m assuming you’ve done what you needed to.” 

 

“Take your best guess.” His voice came out as a snarl and the person on the other end chuckled.

 

“No need to raise your voice, Subject. We’d like to ask for you to come in so we can evaluate your mental state.”

 

“My mental state? You want to ask the mental state of someone who’s already been through hell and was forced to let go of the best thing that ever happen to them?”

 

“It’s mandatory procedure, Subject. Can we ask you to come in later this week?”

 

Gladion’s voice went weak and the phone dropped in his lap, “no, today, Professor. I just want to get this over with.”

 

“We will eagerly be awaiting you, Subject Gladion.”

 


	2. 'Imagination'

Gladion felt his arms and legs tied down with restraints and it was unfortunate that he grew used to the feeling. The needles sunk into his skin and the nurse beside him was quietly typing information into the computer beside him.

 

“You seem stable, though your blood pressure is a little over average. I’d recommend you calm down a bit, Subject.” She advised as she finished copying down numbers on her clipboard.

 

Gladion bit his tongue. It wouldn’t be worth arguing with them. It was still hard to believe that Aether still had people who supported the twisted things his mother was doing before. A branch of scientists, making a name for themselves on a small island west of Poni who somehow avoided the International Police’s radar.

 

“I know you don’t want to be here. But you have to see how much of a difference this will be to the world!”

 

“What change will there be to the world if fusing Pokemon and humans becomes a reality?” He questioned with huff and the nurse held the clipboard to her chest, unable to find a way to respond, “Professor Tano and the rest of you are just doing it for your own selfish reasons.”

 

The nurse bowed, “I’ll be back to check on your stats after the merging. May Arceus bless you, Subject Gladion.”

 

She disappeared behind automatic doors and the smug, overly excited Professor Tano took her place, with two lowly scientists following behind as they struggled to scribble notes in their clipboards. Tano was a tall man, scrawny — the rumor was he spent more time researching fusions in the past month more than actually eating — with gray hair that desperately needed a trim. Gladion knew Tano for just about four months and every time they met he just looked more sleep deprived and weaker. Proving theories just seemed to be all he was interested in, living and being an actual person was an afterthought.

 

“Subject! It’s good to see you again! How’s everything?”

 

Gladion shook his head and Tano smiled sheepishly. The tension in the air was thick enough and Gladion could tell Tano didn’t care much about anything but the results he was going to get by the end of the experiment.

 

“Are you excited? Fusing with a Pokemon, I mean?” Tano asked as he looked over the computer.

 

“Yeah, I’m sure my mom was thrilled when it happened to her.” 

 

Tano peered over his shoulder at Gladion, lips creasing upwards. “How is Lusamine, by the way? Have you gone to see her recently? I’m sure prison doesn’t suit her very well, right?” 

 

Gladion held back a growl. _So help me Arceus._

 

“Aether never did much to impress me when I worked under Lusamine’s command. Her ideals were just too _basic_ for my tastes. But when I heard she’d gone crazy and fused with a Pokemon — an Ultra Beast at that. Arceus, I think I leaped with excitement. Pokemon/Human fusions have been attempted in the past but it was on such a small scale, fusing humans with human-like Pokemon like Lucario and Gardevoir and Medicham — so basic! Uncreative! These people had the nerve to call themselves scientists! Now fusing Ultra Beasts, _that’s_ science.”

 

Gladion wondered if he had truly gone insane or if it was his delusion caused from lack of sleep talking. He let Tano continue to ramble on, tuning him out as he tried to focus on something else to think about. His first thought, no doubt, was Moon. She was probably already making her way to meet up with Lillie and telling her everything that happened, maybe even crying on her shoulder. The thought made his stomach turn.

 

“I got lucky with you, Subject. You’ve lasted longer than any other one of my test subjects, which just about confirms my theory that it had to do with your genetics. I couldn’t risk the International Police finding this Aether and shutting down our research, so asking Lusamine to be our guinea pig was out of the question. Your father, Arceus knows where he went. So all I had left was you and Lillie, but your sister’s such a sweet girl, I would have hated to bother her. You though, had so much more to lose so it’d be easier for you to submit to us.”

 

“Bastard.” Gladion’s face twisted into a scowl as he gripped the armrests of his chair.

 

“You can call me whatever you’d like, either way I’m still getting what I want.” Tano shrugged and dug his hands into his pockets, retreating into the other room with the two scientist following behind. Gladion glared at Tano through the glass window and he smiled, tapping a microphone. The static made Gladion cringe and Tano’s voice soon echoed in the experiment room.

 

“Subject, are you ready?”

 

“Stop playing the good guy act, just get on with it.” Gladion shot back and the Professor chuckled, making a quick gesture with his hands that sent one scientist out of the room. Gladion relaxed himself, shutting his eyes and waiting for Tano to give the order. 

 

“What’s going on? Why am I here?” Gladion felt his heart stop. No, she couldn’t be here.

 

His eyes shot open. A small screen lowered into the room, showing the live security camera footage of what looked like a near empty room with a desk and chair. Moon was handcuffed to the chair, tugging against the metal in an attempt to free herself.

 

“Let her go! We agreed she wouldn’t be apart of this!” He howled struggling against his restraints.

 

“Sit tight, Subject.” Tano sounded excited. 

 

The door to the room opened, and the scientist who had left Tano’s side earlier appeared with a Weavile at his side. Its eyes were narrowed and its claws glinted silver.

 

“Wait… Wait, I didn’t do anything! Please!” Moon pleaded and the scientist said nothing. The Weavile closed in on her.

 

“You’re bringing an innocent girl into this! Our agreement was that I do this so you leave Moon and Lillie alone!”

 

Tano shook his head, “research on your mother’s fusion suggests mental and emotional state effects fusions.”

 

_Don’t tell me he’s going to…_

 

“Please! I’ll do whatever you want! Please, don’t hurt her!”

 

“Ready Nihilego. We’ll start the fusion on my order.”

 

The Weavile teased her slowly, claws thinly tracing lines on her neck. She shut her eyes and quivered in her seat. “Please, don’t hurt me.”

 

Gladion was torn on whether or not he even wanted to keep his eyes open to watch. His heart dropped. Moon was going to die. Moon was going to die and the last thing she had heard from him was that he didn’t love her anymore. “if you have any sort of you humanity left, you’ll leave her alone! Please! _Please!_ ”

 

There was a sharp inhale following the sound of a thick slice. Moon struggled to breathe, her voice coming out as weak gasps as her body leaned against the chair to support her weight. Her head lolled off to one side and blood quickly colored her clothes. The Weavile flicked the crimson off its claws before being called back to its poke ball. The scientist retreated from the room while Moon sat, quietly whimpering in pain before she quieted down all together.

 

Gladion _screamed._ He thrashed, left and right — damn those annoying restraints — spouting sobs and curses. His emerald eyes darkened and all he had on his mind was knocking that sadistic smile off of Tano’s face.

 

“ _I’ll kill you.”_

 

_“_ Transfer.”

 

Gladion ignored the tingling sensation he felt in his blood and the rumbling and moaning from the machine beside him. He didn’t care how much pain he felt. Nothing mattered. Nothing but Moon’s now lifeless body barely being held up against the chair. She was gone. There was no way he could somehow get out of his restraints and find her and bring her to a doctor. 

 

In the corner of the room, amidst all the chaos in Gladion’s head, Nihilego appeared gliding around the room. Its appendages found a way to attach themselves to Gladion’s skin and they began to wrap around him. Gladion kept moving, desperate to escape. He just needed to get to Moon.

 

HIs body weakened and his eyes felt tired. The last thing he saw, was Moon’s bloody body on the security camera.

 

\--

 

When he came to, Gladion found himself in a grassy field. In front of him was Moon, dressed in a plain white dress that seemed to dance with the wind. Gladion knew immediately it was a dream — some fragment left of his imagination, but by Arceus he didn’t care. He scrambled to his feet and pulled her into his chest before she had a moment to react.

 

“I’m sorry!” He cried, his grip on her back all too tight. He wasn’t going to lose her again. “I’m so sorry. They made me! They said they’d hurt you and Lillie if I didn’t— oh Arceus, Moon, I love you. I love you. I love you. I was stupid, and reckless and every other word you could think of. I’m just so sorry and I want you to know that I—“

 

“I know, Gladion. And I’m not mad.” She whispered in his ear and his nose found itself buried in her shoulder. She ran thin fingers through his hair and murmured quiet reassurances against his skin.

 

“I’m the reason you’re dead.” He murmured to himself, terrified. His grip tightened. “All I do… is cause trouble to the people I love. You, and Lillie, you were both at risk because of me. They threatened you, because of me. I-I thought maybe, if I cut ties with you they’ll leave you alone. I didn’t know they’d — Arceus, _kill_ you.”

 

Gladion felt a sharp pain in his head and he stumbled forward, knocking Moon back. They fell against the grass, Moon looking up at him with a smile that made his heart twist in his chest. Her hands cupped his cheeks and her gaze hardened.

 

“The fusion’s almost complete. You should regain consciousness soon.”

 

“Moon, what’s—“ A groan cut off his statement. His arms shook and his vision blurred. Not yet, not so soon. He needed more time. Arceus, that’s all he asked for.

 

“The liquid they injected into you is attracting Nihilego to your body. Its attempting to merge with you. There’s still a lot that I don’t know, but it’s the main gist of it all.”

 

“No, I don’t want to leave you. Please, Moon. I just want to stay here with you forever.” His head fell in her shoulder.

 

Moon shook her head. “You know you can’t. You have a life to live. What would Lillie think if she lost both me and her big brother at the same time? I know it’s not always easy — that’s just how life is. Gladion, you have so much left of your life, hell maybe you’ll take over for me at the League. You’ve still got Lillie and Hau and the rest of our friends — our family.”

 

“It’s not worth it if you’re not there with me. You pulled me out of the hell I went through with Mother. You taught me how to live again, to open up and trust and love.” A strangled gasp followed his voice. Everything was fading.

 

Gladion looked up for just a second, to see her face one last time. Moon smiled and grabbed his cheeks, kissing him softly. She felt his tears run down her cheek and she refused to break away from him. If this would be their last moment, they’d spend it as close as they could possibly be.

 

Moon disappeared from under him. A quiet _I love you_ following the breeze.

 

\--

 

Gladion woke with his feet dangling in the air and a large purple airspace surrounding his body. Four thick appendages hung near his legs that seemed to respond to him moving his fingers. His vision was tinted silver and his body felt glued to whatever this bubble was that held him. He had no feeling beyond his legs and feet. The chair he was restrained in was knocked aside with the computer and all the needles Gladion once had stuck in his arms were limp on the floor. Tano appeared in the room, his two assistants following behind him. His eyes were wide, a great smile creased his face. He _laughed._

 

“Incredible! Phenomenal! Oh Arceus! Look at this! Look at what I’ve created!” Tano held his clipboard to his chest, squeezing it tightly. Eyes sparkling in bliss, it seemed every star had aligned in his brain. “More! We need more of them! Ready more test subjects! We need absolute proof that it’s not just limited to this family.”

 

“More? You’re going to do this to someone else? To more people?” Gladion mumbled, surprised that his voice could even be heard. if he couldn’t save Moon, the least he could do was save any other poor soul unlucky enough to be locked in as a test subject.

 

If Tano did end up experimenting on others, it wouldn’t just mean the lost of their lives but the lives of anyone important to them. He was willing to kill so many people for the sake of his pointless ideals. Gladion pushed forward, his new body only barely following his orders.

 

“Tell me, Subject, how does it feel? What is it like? No detail is too small.” Tano nodded to the Aether members behind him who readied their pens, eager to copy down notes.

 

“I’ll kill you.” The only three words that seem to come out just perfectly. Vengeance burned in his blood, heart pounding uncontrollably. His new body seemed stiff. It was so hard to move, near impossible unless he strained himself. Moon flashed in his head, a picture of her smiling at him and he could hear her giggle in his ears. It vanished quickly, replaced by the horror that was her lifeless body on the security tape. 

 

He killed Moon. And most likely he was planning on killing others. That was all the justification Gladion needed. 

 

Two of the scientists had already began to retreat the room, screaming for security behind them. Tano disregarded their cries for help. _You risk harming the Subject,_ as if he was no longer human, just this large _thing_ meant for research.

 

An appendage found its way wrapped around Tano’s body. It squeezed and Gladion heard him choke out a breath. The Professor smiled, scribbling down mental notes in his head. He wheezed out his research.

 

“The Subject proves to—have an increase in—strength and mobility—it seems the human brain still remains—intact. Though, the body seems completely—engulfed by Nihilego.”

 

The appendage snaked up to cover his mouth, muffling his crazed discoveries. Tano struggled for air but he didn’t fight back. This _was_ all research for him, his life was an afterthought. The assistances were gone, security never came. His battle was lost before it even began.

 

“Look—at—my—discovery…” Tano’s last words were faint. His eyes fluttered close and his body fell limp. The appendage released the Professor and let his body hit the floor unceremoniously. Gladion shut his eyes. He didn’t feel anything. He avenged Moon, but he didn’t _feel_ anything. No joy for revenge, nothing. His body shook.

 

_I… killed him. H-He deserved it! But I still…_

 

A sharp pain struck his back and Gladion crashed into the wall, destroying it on impact. He looked up through the debris and gulped. In front of him, was his nurse, with a Starmie charging up a move that Gladion recognized as Psybeam. He’d been hurt by Pokemon moves before but that Psybeam hurt too much to feel normal.

 

“I’m sorry it’s come to this.”

 

Gladion shut his eyes and nodded. This was what he deserved.

 

_I’m sorry for leaving you alone, Lillie._

 

An image of Moon flashed in his eyes. Clothed in that same plain white dress, she waited for him in that same grassy field. She outstretched her hand to him, and he took it without a second thought.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> usually i'm not one for writing angst since I prefer fluff but my god is it fun to see people screaming "fuck you" in response to what I write sometimes.
> 
> thank you for reading though and i'll see you in the epilogue!


	3. Reset?

Gladion smiled, feeling thin fingers comb through the blonde strands of his hair. His eyes were closed as he huddled closer to Moon. The grass under them was a bother but he wouldn’t complain if it meant he would be with her. It was quiet. He could only hear Moon humming a small melody as she played with his hair. Gladion could get used to this. It was all he could ask for. He sighed and Moon stopped humming.

 

“ _You’re not dead, you know_.”

 

Gladion’s eyes shot open and he tried to sit up but his body felt weak and something held him down. He inhaled sharply as his head hit the pillow behind him. The oxygen felt heavy going down his throat. He panted and already he could feel the realization seeping in.

 

He _lived._

 

And from the way the world seemed normal in his eyes, he had returned to his normal body. What sort of sick trick was Arceus pulling on him? He wanted to scream but nothing would come out. He felt too weak to try to move. He calmed himself with a quiet sigh as his head hit the pillow. Sleep took him quickly.

 

Gladion waiting to wake up in the grassy field, beside Moon. He waited to hear her voice, quiet and giggly, welcoming him into her arms where he’d stay there forever. He’d bury his head in her chest and chuckle softly when she’d kiss his forehead. He felt blackness around him. Any minute now, he’d meet again with Moon, and they’d live together in the field. Gladion would never wake up, and he would be with Moon forever.

 

“ _You’re not dead. No matter how much you wish it so.”_

 

Her voice was a bittersweet whisper against his ear and the words alone made quiet tears fall from his eyes. He _wasn’t_ dead. By some act of divine intervention, Gladion had survived the fusion with Nihilego, and returned to his original body. But Arceus be damned if his memories of Moon’s death still flashed vividly in his mind or the horror and guilt that settled into his stomach after he killed Tano still curled uncomfortably.

 

He slept for the rest of the day and his heart sunk in his chest when he didn’t meet with Moon again.

 

Gladion chose not to wake so suddenly once he heard voices beside his bed. He figured, whoever was there — most likely his nurse now that he thought about it — would probably be startled if he woke up crazed in an attempt to get out of his bed. He felt a weight near his stomach. His eyes opened slowly.

 

There was a chair pulled up near his bed and beside him was Lillie, resting her head near his side. She was dozing off by the looks of it and Gladion was careful not to move. 

 

“Arceus, please.” She whispered softly, hands squeezing at the bedsheets, “please don’t take him from me.”

 

Her voice was quiet as she prayed and for a second Gladion wondered if she knew about Moon. Was she praying for her as well as for him?

 

Gladion wanted to wake her up with a smart remark, tell her he was fine but he couldn’t bring himself to even make a sound. Guilt bubbled in his stomach. This was what Moon meant. She was gone but he still had Lillie, and probably Hau — though Lillie probably avoided saying anything to anyone until she was given an update on Gladion’s condition. 

 

He wanted to die and yet he didn’t. He had so much left to live for and yet the thought of waking up everyday to a world without Moon terrified him.

 

He wanted to tell himself she was still alive but he knew dragging himself in denial would only make things worse.

 

“Lil.” Gladion murmured and she shot up faster than he expected her to. She leaped up and her face brightened immediately. A smile gracing ear to ear, green eyes sparkling with fresh tears. 

 

“Arceus, it feels like it’s been years since you’ve said that.”

 

She tried to laugh it off. She tried to keep herself steady. If it had been a few months earlier, she probably would have been sobbing in his arm. Moon had given her such courage in such a short amount of time.

 

“I’m so happy, you’re okay big brother.”

 

Gladion tried to smile but he knew it came out as forced. He shifted his head up and noticed the ropes wrapped over his body. Of course he would be restrained. There would be no telling how he would react once awaken in his actual body. Either that or they were planning on sending him away for murder.

 

“Though, I’m still a bit confused on what happened. I only figured out this island existed when the nurses called me. And they’re calling themselves Aether, but I’ve never met any of them.”

 

Gladion felt a lump trail down his throat. It was too much to explain now. He didn’t want to think about it.

 

Lillie must have noticed as she suddenly cut herself off. “You should probably get some rest. I’ll send one of the nurses to check on you. And I’ll try to get in touch with Moon.”

 

Lillie gave her brother a small smile and promptly slipped her way out of the room. Gladion exhaled, and realized he was shaking. He wanted to call her back and tell her that she wouldn’t be able to find Moon, that she was gone, but the air felt light in his lungs, near nonexistent.

 

_She’s gone. And your big brother’s a murderer._

 

His hands covered his mouth. It was so hard to breathe and the tears burned against his cheeks.

 

_“Live, Gladion.”_

 

Would it really be that easy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ack. sorry for this chapter being so late. procrastination's a bitch. but i left the ending completely up to your interpretation so go nuts.
> 
> thank you for reading!


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